Surface condenser and the like



March 17, 1931. F. x. J. A. DELAS SURFACE CONDENSER AND THE LIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan 24, 1930 March 1- F. x. J. A. DELAS SURFACE CONDENSER AND THE LIKE F Jan- 24 1930 3 sheets -sheet 2 March 17, 1931. DELAS 1,796,510

SURFACE CONDENSER ANDTHE LIKE Filed Jan. 24. 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig. 5

Patented Mar. 17, 1931 UNITED STATES FRANQOISXAVIER JOSEPH ALBERT DELAS, OF PARIS, FRANCE SURFACE CONDENSER AND THE LIKE Application filed January 24, 1930,.Serial No. 423,180, and in France June 17, 1929.

Surface condensers are known in the art wherein the tubular system assumes, in a cross-section perpendicular to the axis of said tubes, the shape of a bundle bounded by 5 anupper. outline showing downwardlyconverging clearances devoid of tubes and a lower outline showing downwardly opening clearances. Such an arrangement is shown on appended Fig. 1. Said arrangement shows the following drawback: at its lower parts a, (Z, b, e, 0, f, the bundle shows by reason of its very construction a thickness greater than that which it shows along the elementary tubular bundles lying between an upper and a lower clearance. Now these increased thicknesses are disposed just underneath the points a b c where the cross-section of the upper clearances becomes zero. ,Several devices have already beenproposed to remove this drawback. For instancein one case the upper clearances do not end exactly in apoint and yet there existsat their lower end a number of tubes which isfar greater than that which corresponds to the amount of steam passing through the clearance at this point. It has also been proposed to form at the lower end of each clearance aplurality of 7 smaller clearances diverging .from the main iclearance. Consequently the said main clearance shows above these smaller clearances a narrower part which causes an important loss ofpressure in the steam stream. Owing to this loss of pressure, the smaller iii clearances receive a very reduced amount of steam and the tubes underneath these smaller clearances are still used with a very low efliciency. V

My invention has for its object an im- 11!: provement in condensers of this type allowingtheabove disclosed drawbacks to be removed. This improvement consists in forming a bundle into all parts of which the steam may have a freeaccess through clearances disposed in such a manner" that the steam meets at all points tubular elements having the same resistance and condenslng power.

' This is accomplished by forming the upper downwardly converging clearances the end cross-section ofwhich is finite instead of zero and the lower end of which is closed by a suitably disposed sheet iron. 7

In order to make the bundle perfectly homogeneous I may also dispose at the upper end of each of the indentations formed by the tube arrangement, sheet irons arranged in a manner such that the thickness of the tubular elements may be constant throughout their height.

lVhen, my invention is applied to con densers having a plurality of water circuits I prefer, in order to retain the homogeneity of the tubular arrangement, to suitably di pose the sheet irons in front of the spaces devoid of tubes corresponding to the ribs of the headers containing the water'for the different water circuits The improvements provided by my invention show a particular advantage, as long as certain precautions are taken for the arrangement of the sheet-iron plates, when adapted to condensers of the known type wherein the condensate flows tangentially over the tubes.

I have described hereinbelow and shown by way of example on appended drawings several forms of execution of my invention.

Fig. 1 shows as stated a condenser of the known type disclosed.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional View of a condenser arranged according to my invention, the plane of the cross-section being perpendicular to the axis of the tubes.

Fig. 3 shows the invention applied to a condenser wherein the tubes are disposed as in Fig. 4.

Fig. 5 shows a condenser provided with a plurality of water circuits.

Fig. 6 is a modification wherein the homogeneity of the condenser is furthered by the omission of the upper part of each tubular element.

As shown on Fig. 2, the downwardly converging clearances I, II, III of the bundle remain wide at'their lower end in contradistinction with the usual arrangement shown in Fig. 1. The end cross-section of the clearance is thus finite and not zero as in the case of said Fig- 1.

' In order to prevent the steam from passing directly towards the air exhaust pipe 4, I dispose underneath the end of the upper clearances and against the lower ends of the elementary bundles which bound it, inverted channel-shaped parts 5, 6, 7. It is apparent that owing to this arrangement, the thickness of the bundles through which the steam passes is the same at the lower end and through the sides of the elementary bundles. Moreover as the width of the clearances remains finite throughout their height, the steam can easily pass into the lower part of the bundle.

The arrangement according to my invention shows particular advantages when adapted, in a particular form of execution, to condensers of the known type wherein the condensate flows tangentially over the tubes.

In such apparatuses (Fig. 4) the superposed tubes 8 are shifted horizontally so as to allow the water 9 falling from the lower generatrix of one tube to impinge tangentially on the tube disposed underneath the first tube. The condensate flow is thus eifected along oblique lines and the condensate wets only about one quarter of the surface of each tube.

Fig. 3 shows the invention as adapted to a condenser wherein the tubes are arranged as illustrated in Fig. 4, the rows of tubes shown in Fig. 4 being disposed so as to make the condensate flow from the upper clearances wherethrough the steam is admitted to the lower clearances. The bundle is thus formed by a series of rows of tubes which are parallel in each elementary bundle.

In order to provide the greatest homogeneity possible in the bundle, I give the channel shaped sheets such as 5, 6, 7 a shape such that the outer flanges 10, 11, 12, 18 may be also parallel to the condensate flow. Each elementary bundle disposed between two clearances is formed of a plurality of rows each of which discharges its own condensate into the lower corresponding clearance I, II, III, IV. Each of these rows has therefore the same condensing power whatever its position may be throughout the length of the elementary bundle considered. The steam arriving into the wide lower end of the uppear clearances will thus meet rows showing the same resistance and condensing power as the elements in front of the mean part of the clearances; it is thus apparent that the problem laid down hereinabove is solved.

Fig. 5 relates to the well known type of condenser comprising several water circuits. It is known that it is necessary in this case to provide in the bundle, in front of the ribs of the headers for the multiple water circuits, spaces devoid of tubes such as 16. Now such spaces would destroy the homogeneous arrangement of the elements provided by my invention.

Therefore I dispose in front of the spaces devoid of tubes such as 16, with a view to restore this homogeneity, channel shaped parts, such as 17, 18, 19 the flanges of which are parallel to the oblique flow of the condensate and the upper Wall of which is parallel to the surface bounding the upper clearance.

It should be noted that whatever arrangement is adapted for the tubes, the upper part of the bundle which lies above the apex of each lower clearance shows through its very construction a part wherein it is narrower than along the sides of the said lower clearances. The consequent lack of homogeneity may be removed by disposing at the upper part of the indentations four- Walled folded sheet-irons 21, 22, 23, 24 (Fig. 6). The outer walls bcccl, bcc'd, 6"0" 0(Z", b"c"'c"d are in alinement with and form an extension of the sides of the upper clearances whereas the inturned flanges abde, wbde, w"b-clc, abl"e" bound the elementary tubular bundles and are parallel to the flanges of the lower channel-shaped parts 5, 6, 7.

The bundle is thus constituted by a series of elementary tubular bundles having a constant width throughout their length.

Of course in those cases where the tangential flow arrangement of Figs. 3 and 4 is used, the outer walls of the sheet irons 21, 22, 23, 24.- are made parallel to the flow of the condensate whereby the homogeneity of the bundle is brought to its greatest degree, as explained hereinabove.

What I claim is:

1. A tubular surface condenser comprising a plurality of elementary bundles which lie between upper V-shaped clearances and lower inverted V-shaped clearances, the inner ends of the upper clearances having a finite width, and plates closing the said inner ends.

2. A tubular surface condenser comprising a plurality of elementary bundles which lie between upper V-shaped clearances and lower inverted V-shaped clearances, the inner ends of the upper clearances having a finite width, plates closing the said inner ends and bent lateral extensions of said plates adjacent the lower ends of the adjacent elementary bundles.

3. A tubular surface condenser comprising a plurality of elementary bundles which lie between upper V-shaped clearances and lower inverted V-shaped clearances, the inner ends of the clearances having a finite width, the tubes in each elementary bundle being disposed so that the condensate may flow from the upper to the lower clearances after impinging tangentially on each successive tube it meets, and inverted channel shaped parts the central portion of which closes the said inner ends and the flanges of which bound the lower ends of the adjacent bundles and are parallel to the condensate flow-lines therein.

4. A tubular surface condenser of the multiple water circuit type comprising a plurality of elementary bundles in each of which is provided a tube-free space, and which lie between upper V-shaped clearances and lower inverted V-shaped clearances, the inner ends of the upper clearances having a finite width, plates closing the said inner ends and plates substantially flush with the surface of the bundles on the side directed towards the upper clearances and closing the upper ends of the tube-free spaces in said bundles.

5. A tubular surface condenser of the multiple water circuit type, comprising a plurality of elementary bundles in each of which is provided a tube-free space, and which lie between upper V-shaped clearances and lower inverted V-shaped clearances, the inner ends of the upper clearances having a finite width, the tubes in each elementary bundle being disposed so that the condensate may flow from the upper to the lower clearance after impinging tangentially on each successive tube it meets, inverted channel shaped parts the central portion of which closes the lower ends of the upper clearances and the flanges of which bound the lower ends of the adjacent bundles and are parallel to the condensate flow-lines therein and plates substantially flush with the surface of the bundles directed towards the upper clearances and closing the upper ends of the tubefree spaces in said bundles.

6. A tubular surface condenser comprising a plurality of elementary bundles which lie between upper V-shaped clearances and lower inverted V-shaped clearances, the inner ends of the upper clearances having a finite width, V-shaped plates at the upper end of two adjacent elementary bundles the outer surfaces of which are substantially in alinement with the surfaces of the corresponding elementary bundles bounded by the upper clearances and plates between the bundles at the lower ends of the upper clearances.

7. A tubular surface condenser comprising a plurality of elementary bundles which lie between upper V-shaped clearances and lower inverted V-shaped clearances, the inner ends of the upper clearances having'a finite width, V-shaped plates at the upper end of two adjacent elementary bundles the outer surfaces of which are substantially in alinement with the surfaces of the corresponding elementary bundles bounded by the upper clearances, plates between the bundles at the lower ends of the upper clearances, bent lateral extensions of the plates just mentioned bounding the lower ends of the adjacent bundles and bent lateral extensions 

